Fragments
by Smack Dab
Summary: A mysterious stranger visits the Loud residence to discuss with Lincoln something of grave importance. He soon discovers a disturbing secret surrounding the child's past...features a one-time OC.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**** The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

I'm a 28 year old man that considers himself a relatively avid fan of the Loud House. I first got into the show around early 2018, and honestly I got hooked on watching this dysfunctional, yet lovable family's wacky antics. It's a show with plenty of charm and heart, even if it's premise is far from the most original thing I've ever seen. Anyway, most of the episodes I can remember seeing weren't especially dark or morbid, and while the episode I'll be recalling here wasn't dark in a gruesome way, it's still pretty damn unnerving, especially when compared to the show's usual standard of content.

I was on my lunch-break from work just around the same time the Loud House usually begins each day. The episode itself began no different than any other one I can remember seeing. The catchy theme song, basically the whole plot in a nutshell, yadda yadda yadda, from there the screen cuts to a shot of a neighborhood street. No special details, just a few houses, some cars, and ambient noises could be heard in the background, although I could briefly make out some footsteps that sounded like they were coming from the right of the sidewalk.

From what little I could make out in ear shot, the footsteps seemed relatively heavy, most likely belonging to a tall, if not large man. They didn't seem to be frantic judging by the speed in which one came after the other, but it was clear whomever it was wanted to get to their destination quickly. The screen cuts to another neighborhood street, this time showing a little more of the sky off. It was rather cloudy in this particular episode, something Lucy Loud would no doubt approve of, but again not what I would call weird or out of the ordinary. After a full 5 minutes, the screen cuts one last time to finally show the Loud family's street, the footsteps sound noticeably louder here as the ambient noise has died down somewhat. The camera annoyingly does not show this mysterious stranger in any way, but we can see the house itself in plain view, a zoom starts in around the door frame of their house, indicating whomever is there is approaching the house. After the zoom is fully on the door, silent knocking can be heard for a second or so, abruptly halting as the door opens up to reveal the Loud Family's patriarch, Lynn Sr.


	2. Meeting the family

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

The patriarch of the family attempts to greet whomever it is in his normal goofy, yet good natured way, but instead looks somewhat puzzled as to what he's met with at the other end of the door. As I expected, a large, tall man (approximately 6'4) wearing a bright silver coat, black sweatpants, an orange cap that reminded Mr. Loud of what fishermen typically wore, and large black sneakers. His hands were in his pockets at the time of being greeted, but he quietly extended his right arm to shake the man's hand as per greeting.

"Well hi there! Can't say I've ever seen you around before. Are you new to this neighborhood?"

The man's eyes were black and seemingly showing no emotion whatsoever, he held neither affection or contempt for the man greeting him. He responded quietly as he shook the man's hand.

"...Hello. I suppose you can say I'm visiting the area for now. My name is...am I correct in assuming this is the Loud family residence?" His tone was very quiet and deadpan, albeit polite and cordial. His name was filtered out of the dialogue as well, leaving the stranger's name an enigma for any viewer having watched up until this point. Lynn Sr was again puzzled at this mysterious newcomer's demeanor, he didn't seem to feel threatened exactly, but he was at least slightly disturbed by his emotionless demeanor and wanted to know why he was looking for his own family in particular.

"Why, the only one known to the people around these parts! As you've probably guessed by now, I'm the man of this here household! So is there anything we at the Loud family residence can help you with?"

The mystery man kept his same blank expression on his face as he quickly gave a silent nod of his head to signal his approval. He then opened his mouth to reply in the same, casual tone he had responded to the Loud House patriarch before, as emotionless as before.

"...Is Lincoln Loud home right now?"

Lynn Sr was beginning to become worried that this man may be some kind of undercover truant officer here to inform him about his son's misbehavior.

"Whatever for? Is our Lincoln in trouble?"

The man could sense Lynn Sr's growing tension, and while indifferent towards it, aimed to diffuse it so as to stay focused on his own objective.

"No...but there is something I wish to speak to him about. I mean you no harm nor bother, but I'm afraid what I must discuss with him is rather important. It concerns his well being in more ways than one." The stranger continued on with his monotone form of speech, with a little more serious-ness to his tone than before, making it clear to Lynn Sr this man had no time for fun or games.


	3. Meeting Lincoln

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

"Why don't you come in and sit down? There's a fresh spot on the couch no one's claimed yet. I'll go fetch our favorite son while you're waiting."

Lynn Sr managed a sincere smile in spite of being unnerved by this man at first, that said his goof-ball, friendly nature had a tendency to get the better of him at the worst of times. The man said nothing in return, nor did his expression waver in any noticeable way, but he did give a solemn nod of his head as he proceeded through the door-way, and into the family living room. He gently took a seat right in the center of the couch, which no one else surprisingly occupied for the moment, though I assumed the kids were out doing their own things for the moment.

As the man waited for the only son among 11 siblings to show himself, he quietly observed the house around him. During this time no sound was noticeably audible, least not anything that I could make out, hell not even the ambient noises from before were present. The man whose name had still remained a mystery at this point began to take a more relaxed position on the couch. He regarded his surroundings with little noticeable interest, although he seemed to be comfortable with the eerie silence that filled the house after Lynn Sr went up the stairs. It was around this time I could start to hear voices coming from the 2nd floor, although they were too low in volume for me to make out any part of their conversation. After another 5 minutes or so, 2 sets of footsteps could be heard coming down, one belonging to an adult, and the other to a child. The man began to prepare to greet the 11 year old, albino haired boy as he stood up from his spot on the couch as quietly as he sat down.

The smaller, lighter footsteps stopped as they reached the end of the staircase, and the boy whom they belonged to lifted his head to meet the gaze of his mysterious visitor for the first time. The size and blank look on the man's face intimidated him more than his dark, brooding sister Lucy ever had before, and if you've watched the show at all, you'd know that was no minor feat whatsoever. The man slowly lowered himself to one knee to converse with the child he was here to see, allowing them to talk on more even grounds so that the boy would not be overwhelmed by his presence.

"...Hello Lincoln."

The boy was surprised by the man's calm voice, but just like his father became rather disturbed by how mechanical it sounded. He was immediately wondering how this man whom he was near 100% certain he'd never seen once before in his 11 years of living knew who he was, and what his exact purpose with him foretold. Has this man come to take him away from his family? Did he plan on making off with him while his parents weren't present? The boy offered a timid reply.

"H-hi sir. Am I in trouble? Did you come from school?"

The man wasted no time in shaking his head to answer the boy's question. Lincoln sighed in relief as now he could rest with the comfort he wasn't going to be reprimanded. He was still a little shaken up, but he felt way more at ease in this rather large stranger's presence.

"I am here to talk to you about something rather important child. It has nothing to do with your school work or outside endeavors in any way, but I'm afraid it concerns you in a big way. Is it okay if we go up to your room so we may speak privately?"

Lincoln was again surprised at this request, but made no objections as he turned to face the staircase, giving the man in question the all clear to follow him on his way up.

As they both walked up the steps, the man briefly looked at pictures of what he assumed to be the boy's siblings. He noticed the child's picture at the top of the stair-case along with that of his 10 sisters. As they reached the 2nd floor hallway, Lincoln motioned to the man to continue following him, eventually settling on a door right dead center in the hall. The boy held the door open for him as the man went in first. He seemed to acknowledge that the room resembled more of a converted broom closet than a child's bedroom, he noticed no chairs or furniture besides a small bed and table with a computer on it to the left wall in the center of the room.

The man sat down on the bed having nowhere else to sit present, and Lincoln soon joined him to the right. The man looked at Lincoln dead on in the eyes again, and posed to him the first bit of dialogue of their discussion.

"Before we begin this talk, I could not help but notice you seem to be the only boy amongst a family of 11 siblings. I imagine that can feel quite smothering at times."

The boy chuckled softly, before replying in earnest.

"Haha...yeah, you can say that again. It gets pretty crazy around here most of the time, but you get used to it sooner or later. That's just how things work around here in the Loud House!"

The man smiled slightly at the child's enthusiastic intro to his house life. It was the only real sign of genuine emotion he'd shown since I first laid eyes on him. He quickly returned to his silent, poker-face while preparing to announce the real reason as to why he was here.

"I do apologize for keeping you in the dark for so long as to why I've come here. Lincoln...do you understand the concept of reality?"

The albino haired pre-adolescent was certain he had no idea what this mystery man was getting at, and that went double for me. What kind of turn or twist was this rather odd episode about to take ? Lincoln could only glare back in confusion and offered a nervous reply, not sure of what the man meant or even how he was meant to answer.

"Uhhh...I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that, sir. Do you mean like alternate dimensions and various universes n stuff?"

The man turned to look away, breaking visual contact for the first time since starting this conversation. He replied in the previous tone he used from the beginning.

"...Not exactly in that manner boy. You see, all things capable of perception can create their own sense, their own "version" of reality, based on the awareness they have regarding their immediate surroundings. No matter whether or not there's any truth to said perception, so long as it feels real to you, it doesn't really matter if anyone else shares it or not."

Lincoln Loud looked even more puzzled, despite having a somewhat better idea of what the man was asking him. He uttered out a more structured reply than before in spite of his ongoing confusion.

"Do you mean to say that we live in our own little fantasies or something?"

The man solemnly nodded his head to show Lincoln he was on the right track. He slowly raised his hand and placed it ontop of the boy's head, gently stroking his hair with his fingers, before continuing on with the reason he was here.

"To put it in simple terms, I have taken an interest in you Lincoln. I will return once again next week to provide a better example of what I mean regarding differing perceptions of reality, and how one can become so enthralled in their own little world, the difference between real and fake simply no longer apply...until they can be convinced otherwise."

The man lifted himself from the child's bed, tipped his hat in a casual manner, and walked his way out of the bedroom. Lincoln only had time to offer up an abrupt "bye" before the door to his room closed shut, leaving him all alone once again.


	4. End of Part 1

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

The man walked down the staircase and was met with Lynn Sr once again as he reached the bottom of the staircase. The jovial father and patriarch of the Loud family residence looked nervous as to what the man wanted to see his son about, but was surprised to find the stranger extending his hand out to him in a show of respect. Lynn Sr asked the man a few questions after shaking his hand.

"Is our boy alright? Are you sure this has nothing to do with school? Will he need to be put on **medication**?!?" Lynn gasped in panic at even the mere mention of such a fate for his only son, but the man merely shook his head, and spoke in the same calm, collected voice he had done this whole time.

"There is nothing wrong with your Lincoln from what I can tell...but I will admit I have taken an interest in him having spoken to him. I will return to your premise next week to converse with him further regarding something important. If it's not too much burden to ask of you, I wish to study his behavior when he is by himself, and interacting with his sisters when you are not around. Do I have your permission?"

Lynn looked confused yet again, but seemed convinced by this point the man meant him and his family no harm. He calmly replied again, his previous anxiety having almost completely faded away from his voice.

"Well, if it's important, I guess it can't be helped. You've got yourself a deal there my good man! Put er' there!"

The man gently shook his hand in a show of mutual respect, and spoke one last sentence before silently walking his way out the door.

"Thank you. I appreciate your time and patience with me so far, and with that I must take my leave of your home. See you in a week's time." With a gentle tip of his orange cap, the man made his way outside the Loud house and back into the neighborhood. Lynn Sr closed the door once the man was no longer in sight, he could only say to himself "what a strange visitor", as the screen faded to black.

The episode then cuts to a black background with white text saying "End of part 1". I still didn't quite get what I had just watched, or what any of this even meant at all. My lunch-break was over however, so this would all have to wait till later. I made sure to make a mental note to check when part 2 would be aired so I could DVR it when I got home. I received some flack from my boss from focusing so much on the episode that I completely neglected to realize my lunch-break had already ended 10 minutes ago. I wasn't expecting to be so invested in this episode, but for the sake of my job that wasn't a mistake I could afford to make again.

Anyway, thanks if you've managed to sit through my tale thus far. I hope to see you again in part 2. :)


	5. Part 2

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

Hey there. Well, throughout the week I checked Nick's programming schedule to see if there would be a continuation of this bizarre new Loud House episode I'd never seen before. It was on a Saturday when I finally caught a time slot for Loud House, weirdly it was scheduled for 8:00 PM. When I checked the episode's info, it merely said "Untitled" and did not include the number of it's season either. I had no reason to believe any other episode could have been part 2 to the episode I watched a week prior, so I decided to DVR this episode so that I could watch it as soon as I got home from work...and well, here we are I guess.

As before, the show's intro played as it always had. No changes in tone, imagery, or even music that I could see or hear. The only odd thing during this time was the title card itself. It featured no characters or artwork of any kind on it, nor did it say whom wrote, directed, or even illustrated it, but it did have the name of the episode on it, just a single word..."Fragments". I had no idea what to make of this in the slightest, but I resolved to having my questions answered by merely watching the episode itself.

The episode starts off a little differently than the one which proceeded it. Instead of a few scenes of neighborhood streets and a bunch of ambient noises in the background, it shows the Loud family house right from the beginning. It was fitting that a week had gone by since I had watched part 1 of the episode, as the man had stated he would return in a week to further study Lincoln's behavior, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.

The camera focuses on the family's backyard, which is shown to be completely desserted until running can be heard in the background briefly. Lincoln and someone else whom the camera does not show are running together, presumably playing a game of tag as Lincoln wasn't holding a ball of any kind to suggest otherwise. The voice given off from Lincoln's companion sounded feminine enough, so I had assumed he was being chased by his older, more athletic sister Lynn Jr. She typically forced him to engage in more outdoor based activities, much to Lincoln's chagrin as he wasn't much for sports or athletic endeavors unlike most boys his age.

Suddenly, the screen shifts to show the Loud family living room, and sitting in the middle of the couch was the same man from part 1 of this rather odd episode. He seemed to be taking in all the playing and raucous going on from the outside, although it was difficult to discern exactly what he was thinking given the same, emotionless mask he wore from part 1. A gradual 10 minutes seemingly flew by when the front door to the house suddenly opened, and standing from the other side of the door way was none other than the bright, cheerful disposition of Lincoln Loud, the only boy among 11 siblings of the Loud household. He turned his head for only a second to offer a cheerful "see ya later" to whomever his play mate was, before promptly closing the door behind him. The man noticed Lincoln approaching the living room, but did not change his position from where he was sitting. He allowed Lincoln some time to settle down before asking him a simple question.

"Seems like that friend of yours wiped you out...did you stumble into a thorny bush while you were playing, by any chance?"

The man gestured over to some slight rips and tears Lincoln had on his shirt, and the boy was also sporting a number of cuts and small bruises on his arms and face, but nothing severe. Lincoln's face was beginning to show tinges of red, he nervously smiled and attempted to explain himself to the man in the best way he knew how.

"Hehe, oh these? My sister Lynn can play pretty rough, but I managed to convince her to play some tag with me instead of sports for a change. I know it looks kinda rough, but for the most part it's all in good fun."

The man's expression remained as stoic as ever, but he did not press on the issue further. Lincoln goes into the kitchen to freshen himself up, and the man begins to lift himself off from the couch. After some more time has past, Lincoln meets the man near the end of the staircase and once again leads him up to the 2nd floor of the house.

From here, Lincoln turns to face the man at the door to his bedroom and asks him.

"I just need to get something from my bedroom before you show me what it is you wanted to show me. You might run into one of my sisters while you're waiting. They shouldn't give you any trouble, but just in case they try to strike up a conversation, just tell them what they want to hear, and they should leave you be. You seem like a smart guy; you'll know what to say by just getting a good look at one of them!"

The man's stoic expression almost gave way to an amused smirk, but he gently nodded his head to show the boy his warnings hadn't fallen on deaf ears.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Don't keep me waiting too long now boy."

Lincoln smiled and nodded his head, before briskly opening his bedroom door and closing it behind him. The man took his attention off Lincoln's bedroom and decided to explore the hall itself whilst waiting. He hadn't gotten a good chance to look the house over since his rather abrupt visit over a week ago, so now seemed like the perfect time to make up for what he couldn't cover before. As he walked through the hall, he took in the various pictures adorned on the walls, and noticed several bedrooms down the direction of the hall he was walking down. He eventually reached the end of the hall and realized he had stumbled upon the bathroom without even noticing. He stepped inside to relieve himself quickly, and then walked right back to where he first started.

..._Thiiss _is where things start to get pretty weird. The episode screeches to a resounding halt as the man waits patiently for Lincoln to retreive something from his bedroom, now going on a 20 minute long drag as basically nothing happens during this time. Finally, the man faces Lincoln's bedroom door and raises his hand to knock on it, but then the resident genius of the household, 4 year old, bespectacled Lisa Loud is seen behind the man, gently tugging on his right pants leg.


	6. Here and There

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

The man turns around to face whomever is trying to get his attention, only to find nothing standing in his direct line of sight. He then looked down to see the 4 year old genius looking up at him from below. She had a curious, but otherwise neutral expression on her face. The man prepared to ask her what she was doing, but she quickly beat him to it with a question of her own.

"Excuse my intrusion unknown leviathan, but who are you?"

The man seemed surprised at how she came from seemingly nowhere, but answered her question almost as quickly as she asked it.

"My name is... I am here on behalf of your brother Lincoln. For what that is I'm afraid I'm in no obligation to tell you. You must be one of his 10 sisters he told me about...may I ask what your name is?"

The man's name was once again filtered out of the dialogue, for what reason I had no clue. I certainly wouldn't have minded to learn what his name was seeing as how he appeared practically out of nowhere, with zero buildup or backstory. I searched online to see if anyone knew anything regarding him, but everywhere I looked to either had no information, or had no idea who the hell I was even talking about.

Anyway, the prodigy child's expression did not change, but I could make out the faintest sound of huffing from her mouth, indicating her annoyance at being denied why this stranger was visiting her family's premise. Nonetheless, she decided to properly introduce herself as the man did before her.

"I am Lisa Loud, resident genius of the Loud family household. I spend most of my days either assisting my lesser, intellectually gifted parental units or siblings in their trivial affairs, or conducting complex research and experiments of a scientific manner. Speaking of which, would you like to enter my private quarters in order to witness my new, groundbreaking discovery in scientific acheivement?"

The man looked to be pondering his next decision. Should he decide to retreive Lincoln from his bedroom, or wait a little longer and let this girl occupy his time?

"Sounds good to me...lead the way little one."

In that instant, Lisa grabbed the man by the hand and attempted to pull him into her room, from inside we can see the baby crib sitting by the wall next to the door of her room, and soon her lab and chemistry set can be seen in clear view. Lisa, enthusiastic as ever, goes on to explain to the man her latest experiment.

"I've been combining electrolytes with..."

Yeeeeah, that's about as far as I could comprehend given Lisa's rather extensive knowledge on basically all forms of science. The man looked to be slowly taking in his surroundings and analyzing every detail about the room itself, in light of Lisa's impassioned, but incomprehensible ramblings. By the wall next to the door, he noticed the baby's crib was empty, and seemed to take more interest in that than anything else going on, for what I cannot say.

Finally, the man decided to leave Lisa's room without interrupting her science jargon, presumably to check up on Lincoln. Upon reaching his door, he began to knock on it firmly a few times but to no answer. He then attempts to open the door having waited long enough for Lincoln to come out, only to realize the door had been locked the entire time. His face began to show the slightest progressions of annoyance as he hurried back to Lisa's room, but when he returned Lisa was nowhere to be found.

This wasn't exactly what I'd call disturbing, but I was rather confused as I could still hear Lisa rambling on even as the man left her room. I should have at least been able to make out the sound of foot-steps or a door closing, but no. The man looked as confused as I was, but didn't say anything, and soon made his way back to Lincoln's room which was closed. The man's growing agitation showed itself again as his face became slightly flushed, and I could briefly make out him biting back a swear as he turned his back to the door, seemingly unsure of what to do next.


	7. Confronting Suspicions

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

Just then, the door to Lincoln's bedroom finally opened up and out came Lincoln himself, sporting a fresh orange polo shirt and blue jeans, and taking notice of the man's slight frustration. He looks somewhat guilty at having made him wait for so long, but makes an attempt at apology.

"Oh hey! Sorry I took so long, I had more trouble finding my VR goggles than I thought, and I guess all that playing outside tired me out more than I realized. I ended up taking a little nap which took up quite a bit of time judging by your expression."

The man's anger almost immediately vanished and his expression returned to what it had been since he first arrived at the Loud residence. He turned around to face Lincoln and mentioned having seen one of his sisters.

"It's fine Lincoln, although I'll admit you had me a bit worried there when you didn't answer after 20 minutes. I just so happened to bump into one of your sisters while I was waiting...I believe her name was Lisa? Her intellect is rather extroardinary for someone only 4 years of age. Your family must be considerably proud of her."

Lincoln's face lit up at hearing a complete stranger speak so kindly of his 2nd youngest sister. He then begins to happily trail on about some of her acheivements in scientific pursuit, including her winning the Nobel Jr Peace award, and her frequent speeches at community colleges, but is soon interrupted by the sound of the front door opening up, to reveal the return of both his mother and father, Rita and Lynn Sr, respectively.

The man halts Lincoln's joyful regalings by pressing his finger to his lips in a shushing motion, and begins to inform him of his parents arrival.

"I'm afraid we'll have to continue this another time child. Your parents are back, and there is something I must discuss with them most urgently."

Lincoln frowned slightly in disappointment, but quickly regained his composure, and gently nodded his head before saying.

"That's a shame...but I understand. Could you just do me a favor and tell my folks I love em by the way?"

The man smiled for the most brief of instances, before lightly tussling Lincoln's hair with his other hand and saying.

"I'll make sure of that. Now off to your room, and don't forget to freshen up a bit before dinner boy!"

With this being said, Lincoln ran back to his room in a rather chipper mood, closing the door behind him and apparently playing a video game of some kind. The man then slowly made his way down the single flight of stairs leading up to the 2nd floor of the house, and met with both parents just as they finished stepping through the door-way.

He begins to greet the both of them, offering them a hand-shake and even hanging up their coats for them. He then brings to their attention the most urgent discussion he mentioned earlier to Lincoln.

"I'm glad to see you both, but if I may be so bold, there is something extremely important that I believe you two should know about. It concerns your son Lincoln and his sisters."

Both of them looked rather worried, but made no arguments as they somewhat hastily sat down beside each other toward the center of the family couch. The man briskly took a seat in the arm chair to the left of the couch, and began to explain his findings to both parents of the Loud household.

"Now then...are you both aware it is currently Saturday evening? When I arrived here earlier today, I was told by your son Lincoln that his sisters all went out to engage in their own activities. At 3:30, he told me was going outside to play with his older sister Lynn Jr, despite having informed me earlier that she was at baseball practice. I heard the "two" of them playing outside for at least over an hour. Once he had come back in, I noticed he was sporting several small cuts and bruises on his arms and face. His shirt was also noticeably torn around the lower-middle area, what's rather concerning to me about all of this is I couldn't make out another set of foot-steps or even a voice from outside. In other words, he sounded like he was merely playing by himself the whole time, with no other friends nor sister in the immediate area."

The man stopped for a moment, cleared his throat, and went off into the kitchen to fetch himself a glass of water. Both Rita and Lynn Sr had an expression that could pass as a mixture of anxiety and guilt. I had no idea what was even going on by this point, but at the very least something was indeed happening. What I couldn't understand was why the both of them looked like they were being accused of man-slaughter. At first this seemed to be a rather uneventful, if somewhat unusual episode of the Loud House, but now it looked to be going the route of an unnerving mystery of some kind. Just what exactly were they hiding here?

The man returned to the arm chair after having finished his glass of water, and continued on with describing what transpired while they were away.

"My apologies, my throat was a bit dry. Anyway, he soon led me up to the 2nd floor and told me to wait for a short time while he went and retreived something from his bedroom. During this time, I was approached by your 2nd youngest child Lisa, whom seems to be the brainiac of the family from what Lincoln tells me. She pulled me into her shared room with Lily and began explaining to me her latest scientific acheivement. I noticed however Lily was not in her crib during this time, and if she's not here with either of you, then does that not make her a missing child? Lastly, I left their room shortly to check if Lincoln had gotten what he said he needed from his bedroom, when I saw the door to his room was still closed, I returned to Lisa and Lily's room, but upon doing so Lisa was nowhere to be found."

The man took a short pause to clear his throat once again, and then finished his rantings with but a simple question.

"...Is there something you are hiding here?"

As nervous as Lynn Sr looked at that moment in time, Rita Loud looked as though she could pass out right there on the spot. Lynn pulled his wife close to him in a tight hug and whispered something in her ear, which sounded something like "it'll all be okay, I promise". Soon, Rita slowly made her way up the stairs to the 2nd floor with her head hanging down, her face bearing a depressed, sunken expression as she slumped her way through each step.

Lynn Sr turned to face the man again and looked him in the eyes. He hadn't a trace of his usual jovial, goofiness or cheerful expression as he normally did, but instead his expression was deadly serious, and his hands firmly gripped his knees until I could see his knuckles begin to turn white. He then spoke in unquestionably the most intimidating voice I had ever heard him use before.

"What I am about to tell you may _never_...in any way, shape, or form, so help me God, leave this house under any circumstances. Do I make myself _clear_?!?"

He purposely stretched out the last word of that sentence to showcase just how serious he was being on this matter. The man did not flinch in spite of the tone that he was being addressed with, and responded with only a single phrase, in the same emotionless voice he'd always used.

"...Crystal."


	8. Lily and Lisa

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

Lynn Sr took a long, deep breath and exhaled rather dramatically, as if though he were preparing to deliver the speech of his life to an entire chorus of strangers. He then began to explain to the best of his abilities just what the hell was going on here.

"There is a reason why the baby isn't in her crib right now, why Lisa was nowhere to be found when you came back, and why it seemed like Lincoln gave himself those cuts and bruises. As you could probably tell by now, Lincoln's sisters aren't sisters at all, they don't even exist as a matter of fact, and that's because they are all just extensions of Lincoln's original personality."

My jaw would have dropped to the floor were it capable of reaching that far after hearing this confession. This show's entire concept revolved around a boy trying to survive in a house with 10 sisters, and only now did I realize it all was a lie. Lynn attempted to compose himself once again before moving on with his explanation.

"You see sir, no matter how much love or attention we showered him with, Lincoln has always been a lonely child, whom suffers from a fear of abandonment according to his doctor. There were severe complications with his birth, which almost cost my wife her life upon delivering him. From that point onward, we both agreed to hold off on having more children at least until we were in a more financially stable situation."

He stops to catch his breath for a moment, noticeably choking back some tears before continuing. The man just sat there with his usual poker-face, taking in every single detail.

"We didn't notice it at first, but he had already made one of these personalities when he was just a baby. There were times when he was an infant, where he would cry for no reason despite having all of his basic needs attended to. Eventually, we heard him say his first word, but instead of mama or dada, or even his own name, he said "Lily". Once we heard that, we learned that the reason for his constant crying wasn't due to negligence on our parts, but because we were calling him by the name we had given him, rather than the name he preferred."

"As the years went on, Lincoln became quite interested in science. He was only 4 years old when he requested us to buy for him his first chemistry set, and when we could afford it, we were happy to give him something we believed would be productive for him. One day though, we came back to see him performing some kind of weird experiment on a squirrel he found foraging for nuts near the front porch. He had it strung up with various cables and medical tubing, and looked to be injecting it with some weird, foul smelling, substance he said he made with his chemistry set when we were away. He was laughing in a cartoony, manicial way that mad scientists in horror films laugh when they're in the process of a brilliant, yet diabolical experiment."

"Naturally, we abruptly halted his inhumane experiment on the squirrel as soon as we could, but when we questioned him on it, we noticed he wasn't even wearing his usual attire anymore. He had on a messy, brown wig which he claimed was to cover up his bald spot from one too many botched experiments, a light green sweater which neatly covered his mid-section, large glasses which he claimed was to aid his lackluster vision, pink pants and brown shoes. I then grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him as violently as I could, trying to get him to snap out of it without resorting to actual violence."

The man briefly grimaced at the mentioning of that squirrel being experimented on, but made no comment about it as he continued to indulge Lynn's depressing and remorseful explanation.

"When I barked out his name, he responded with an indifferent, almost mechanical tone to his voice."

"I believe you are mistaken father, I am Lisa Loud. What I am doing is for the future of science, and by extension the improvement of mankind as a whole."


	9. Lola and Lana

**Disclaime****r: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

"After that unfortunate incident, we banned Lincoln's use of his chem lab for a while, and we refused to buy him comics and new video-games for at least a couple years. Until that happened, he was always such a polite and well-behaved boy that we never had to utilize discipline or punishments of any kind on him, there simply wasn't a need to do so. Sadly however, he wasn't used to being told he couldn't do or have something he wanted, and he developed a mischeivous side, as well as a nasty temper over the course of him turning 6 years old."

"Because we took his favorite things from him, he decided to find new things to occupy his time with. One of these things was stealing make-up and other womanly accessories from my wife's cabinet and dresser when she wasn't looking, and wearing pink, frilly dresses he took from the attic that my wife bought when she was still pregnant. He was also curiously dancing around with a little pink ribbon he said he borrowed from a girl at kindergarten, most peculiar of all was his hair was now blonde and went all the way down to his back, and he was also wearing a sparkly tiara with diamonds in it which distinctly reminded me of some of my wife's hidden jewelry. When I went to ask this new girl what she was doing with our own belongings, she immediately turned around to face me with an enraged expression on her face, as if though she was being told she'd never eat ice cream again for the rest of her life. She then spoke in a rather squeaky, high-pitched voice that I could recognize as Lincoln's though he was clearly stretching his own vocals to be as nasal and girlish as possible."

"What are you talking about daddy?!? I'm busy practicing my ribbon dance for the Royal Woods pageant show this week!!! Lola Loud accepts no place other than first you know!"

"Once "she" was done with her little announcement, I immediately rushed in to grab the tiara and take back the diamonds as my wife complained they'd been missing all day._ This_ is where that nasty temper I mentioned before comes in. He didn't especially take kindly to someone touching what he considered to be his, and put up a vicious fight that surprised me coming from an otherwise harmless 6 year old child. I managed to pry the tiara out of his tight, but flimsy grip and tried to make my way back into the house so I could put the diamonds back in their proper place. He then does something that I had never seen him do before. He lets out an animalistic growl and lunges toward my right ankle, and then proceeds to bite down as hard as I've ever felt him do before."

"I screamed out in pain and surprise of my own as I attempted to shake him loose before his teeth can leave any serious marks or scars. After about 5 long, agony filled moments, I found the strength to flick him off my leg and into the wall of the house. Although I never meant to kick him off with that much force, he soon recovered and bolted his way back into the house, flanking me to the right and going through the kitchen door. I chased him back inside with all the speed I could muster given the damage my ankle suffered from his barbaric attack. He ran his way back up the stairs and caught Rita just as she was exiting the bathroom. He then cowers behind her legs and pretends to cry, and then accuses me of attacking him first despite the fact that he mauled my ankle with his own teeth, all because I was trying to take back the diamonds he took from my wife's dresser."

"Just in case you don't believe me, here's some physical evidence of the reminder that I've carried with me ever since that miserable day."

The Loud House patriarch rolls up the pants sleeve on his right ankle to showcase the rather grotesque damage left in the wake of Lola's barbaric mauling. Although the wound had healed considerably since that day, the ugly scarring, discoloring of the flesh, and parts of skin and muscle being noticeably missing gave me all the proof I could ever need or want regarding Lynn Sr's awful experience.

The man's eyes widened slightly as he quietly took in and analyzed the effects of Lola's attack on Lynn Sr's ankle. His expression remained the same, but I could tell from the look in his eyes he was at least somewhat disturbed from what Lynn Sr had showed him.

Lynn Sr let out a long, exhausted sounding sigh, seemingly relieved that he no longer had to go into further detail regarding this "Lola" personality. His expression became gradually more cheery and pleasant upon recalling the next identity.

"Suffice it to say...Rita never trusted me with Lincoln alone again, and my son and I became quite distant for a while. This new identity of Lincoln's lasted for about 6 months, until one day he was on a class trip, and him and his class got caught up in a sudden downpour. Apparently, they weren't expecting rain at all that day, so his teacher didn't think to pack an umbrella with her as they were traveling. Somewhere along the way, Lincoln got separated from the rest of his class, and was forced to take cover underneath a tree by the pond to shield himself from the rain. After several minutes of waiting for the storm to pass, he found a frog that he noticed was just as scared, cold, and hungry as he was. He went over to comfort the frog, bringing it with him over to the spot he was using as shelter from the rain. When the storm finally died down, Lincoln had fed the frog flies wherever he could find them, and he even decided on a name, Hops. Upon returning home, he brought the frog with him and begged my wife with all of his sincerity if he could keep the young amphibian. My vote at the time had become all but completely obsolete given the unpleasant encounter I had with his former personality "Lola".

"Just with all the other times that had come before it, Lincoln was wearing different clothes when he had returned to us. Instead of the pink, frilly dress and long, flowing blonde hair he had as Lola, he now was wearing navy blue overalls, a murky, green T-shirt I could tell was soaked with rain and mud, a messy red cap which was warm and dry to the touch, two pig-tails done up rather sloppily as if though the person whom made them was inexperienced or in a rush, and plain, white sneakers with a blue stripe across the centers of each of them. She told us her story once she came home. The sudden change in weather, her finding the frog she named Hops, which would go on to become her very first (but not last) pet, her teacher giving her brand new clothes to keep her dry and prevent her from catching a cold, and the discovery of a new name when my wife addressed her by the previous one..."Lana".

"From that point forward, "Lana" wanted nothing to do with the former Lola's girlish interests and attire. She found great enjoyment in playing outside in the mud after a rainy day, which through this helped her to find even more pets which she would take home and beg us to keep. She found a stray dog which we named Charles, a stray, black cat hiding underneath a van during a thunderstorm, which we named Cliff, a lone canary that she found shivering inside a hole in a tree which she named Walt, a small, non-poisonous grass snake which she named El Diablo, and a small lizard she found stuck with a rock firmly squishing the middle of it's tail, which she named Izzy. In addition to this, she also developed a number of gross, rather un-feminine habits. She would often pick her nose and wipe it's contents on various spots within the house, forage underneath the couch cushions for snacks, scratch her back-side when she claimed she needed to think, munch on small insects herself whenever she wasn't feeding them to one of her pets, and even developed a fascination with plumbing and mechanical work."

"For the most part, gone was the foul, bratty temper, and spoiled, vindictive personality of Lola, and in her place was a kinder, gentle, albeit gross and more tomboyish identical twin in Lana. She shared her bedroom with her various pets, and generally didn't ask us for all that much, although it seems her brattier moments were saved for when the subject of bath time came about. She would fight almost as hard and as long as Lola would when it was time to get cleaned up, to the point where it seemed like we'd never be able to take her out in public again. Overall though, this new persona was a stark contrast from Lola in every conceivable way, both for better AND worse."


	10. Lucy and Lincoln

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

After what felt like forever had passed, the man finally spoke up for the first time during this entire confession.

"I believe I am starting to get the bigger picture here. Basically, whenever Lincoln faced a problem or obstacle he could not overcome on his own, he created a separate identity to combat it. You mentioned Lincoln suffering from loneliness having been born an only child. Did this loneliness lead to him creating another identity centered around it?"

Lynn Sr's face brightened up as he recalled an identity which matched the question the man was asking.

"Sadly, yes. Lincoln's loneliness as an only child has haunted him throughout his life. We acknowledged he was on his own alot when we weren't around, even though his babysitters did what they could to keep him company. We gave him as much love and attention as any devoted mother and father would, but me and Rita both knew that there would always be something missing. A "space", if you will that we would never be able to fill."

"We had no idea just how far his loneliness and depression extended, until one day we came home to find him reciting gloomy poetry he had written while we were gone. When we came back in, we realized he was wearing a black wig which completely covered the upper half of his face, leaving only his nose and mouth visible. His clothes were replaced by a black, sleeveless dress which he wore over a white shirt littered with black stripes, long white socks adorn with black stripes, and plain black shoes. When I called his name, he responded by saying his name was "Lucy", and that we had the wrong person."

"Lucy seemed to take a particular interest in all things disturbing and macabre. Besides her knack for writing depressing poems, she would conduct funerals for people's recently deceased pets or relatives. She also developed a most unusual fascination with vampires, and anything related to the mythos surrounding them. She began to watch a rather morbid, yet cliched soap opera called "Vampires of Melancholia", with the main character being a vampire called Edwin. She became so obsessed with Edwin's alleged mystery she practically begged us one day to buy her a statue of Edwin, which was in fact just a wooden, dummy head of him being sold at a local prop store for Halloween."

"Perhaps Lucy's most disturbing trait of all was some of the habits she began to develop with Edwin around. Her poetry still kept it's cynical tone, but now it became laced with romantic vibes all being directed at the lifeless, block of wood she began to call her "beloved" or "soul mate". At one time, I can even remember her putting black lip-stick on, and preparing to make out with the damned thing in the dead of night, but she noticed me watching her sooner than I realized, which led to one of the most awkward staring sessions I've ever been apart of. I soon closed the door to her bedroom, and prepared to go to sleep the best that I could hope for. If I may be frank, the less said about Lincoln's time as Lucy, the better if you don't mind."

The man respected Lynn's wishes and quickly changed the subject. He instead decided to focus his attention on Lincoln himself.

"I understand...so after Lucy had come and gone, what new identity did Lincoln create? Something I've neglected to ask before is...how could Lincoln be balancing identities older than himself, if he's still only an 11 year old boy?"

Lynn looked puzzled for a moment, but soon began to comprehend the question that the man was posing. He quickly responded upon piecing the question together.

"When Lincoln turned 11, his interest in more boyish activities such as comic books, video-games, sci-fi movies, and so on began to take root more strongly than they ever had before. Some time along the way, he re-discovered his old chemistry set which we hid as carefully as possible to prevent him from causing anymore harm to himself, or anything else around him. With enough tinkering, he soon crafted for himself youth elixirs so he could re-visit his younger years whenever he saw fit, and he would attempt to use his chemistry set to reenact what he would see in those sci-fi movies of his."

"A year later, on his 12th birthday he came out to us as bisexual, and requested us to buy for him estrogen pills and testosterone suppressants. He told us at times he felt like a boy, and other times he felt like a girl, and he hasn't been able to decide for himself just what gender is the right one for him yet. We began to talk more as his tween years rolled around, and he would often admit to me he feels like he's failed me as a son. I did the very best I could as any decent parent would and reassured him that he was the best thing to ever have happened to me and my wife. Truth be told, I never cared about the gender God or chance would have assigned my child. The only thing I ever wanted was to ensure he, she, or even it for that matter were happy, no matter what kind of pain or adversity I may be forced to endure along the way."


	11. Lynn Jr

**Content Warning: The following chapter contains graphic depictions of a violent beatdown, and references to crude slurs used to demean one's own sexuality. Due to the potentially offensive material this chapter contains, viewer discretion is heavily advised.**

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

The man's expression suggested he was pondering much of what he had been told, and he soon spoke up once again after some deliberation.

"I see...I can imagine such dramatic changes and emotional fluxes did not make your son the most popular child attending his school. How did Lincoln get along with children his age with him constantly switching identities in this way?"

Lynn Sr's previously distraught and emotionally vulnerable expression returned, as he began to relive painful memories of his son's experiences at school, with less socially forgiving individuals.

"As much as I hate to admit it, yes Lincoln's imbalanced and fragile nature made him the penultimate target for particularly cruel and vicious school bullies. He told us preschool and kindergarden were pretty merciful on him, though he mostly kept to himself and had no friends. When he reached first grade, he met his best friend Clyde, a young African-American boy who was raised by a same-sex couple, and from there both him and Clyde soon became nearly inseparable. He was the first one besides his doctor and us to learn of Lincoln's secret, as you are now, and along with us and his doctor, he was the only one to accept him for what he is."

Lynn Sr began to audibly choke back tears, and his face began to flare up indicating what he was about to mention next enraged him beyond all else described so far. His hands began to grip his knees once again, and this time I could see his finger nails begin to slowly tear at the clothing covering both his knees, even drawing some slight crimson in the process.

"_However_...it was around the 3rd grade that the teasing began. It wasn't especially hateful at first, just the ocassional "geek" or "loser" crack that our son claimed didn't bother him too much. Then around 4th grade, his class-mates started to learn of his more feminine traits and hobbies, referring to him as a "freak" or a "sissy boy", and even breaking into his locker to give him things like lip-stick, perfume, or even hair-spray. Finally in 5th grade, my son met a group of bullies during recess, whom was led by a sociopathic, red-head that went by the name "Chandler". They somehow learned of his time as Lola, and all 3 of them surrounded him one day where the kids and teachers weren't around, and proceeded to violently assault my boy in broad daylight. They then took turns writing abhorrent, unflattering remarks regarding one's own sexuality in marker across his forehead and chest, which I shall refuse to repeat here for the sake of my own sanity. They completed their vile desecration of my child by stripping him of his clothes and then making off with them as Lincoln laid there, beaten down and castrated of his own dignity. Our son came back to us that day with several bruises and small cuts on his face, arms, and both his eyes were blackened from Chandler's first two strikes. His lower lip was swollen and bleeding slightly, his front tooth had been chipped from being kicked square in the face after he went down, and his chest had shoe-prints on it's center, indicating they'd took turns stomping and kicking him for quite some time."

Lynn's expression was affixed in a quite honestly horrifying scowl which looked as though it could never be removed. His face became flushed beyond all compare, and I could hear his fists clenching so hard I wouldn't be surprised if his finger-nails were starting to tear away at the skin of his palms. He managed to regain his senses just enough for him to continue on with this tragic memory.

"As you'd expect, me and Rita were more angry on that day than any other day that proceeded it. It was the first time in my life I had ever contemplated murder of another human being before, but in the end me and Rita decided to take Lincoln out of school, and paid to have him privately tutored ever since. The experience however warped Lincoln's already disturbed psyche, and he began to become more interested in physical fitness and exercised almost every day after his tutoring session was over. He never specified for what purpose he did this, but I had a good enough idea why considering the suffering he endured before-hand. He eventually asked me to bring home for him protein bars so he could keep up his newly found interest in physical activity, and soon he even began to play football and soccer on the weekends. Soon, I came home from work early one day to find my son is nowhere to be found, neither outside or inside the house."

"I spent over an hour trying to find him by myself while Rita was still at work, but having no leads to go on, I made no progress at all. A few hours later, I got a call from the police telling me that Chandler had been brutally mauled by someone or something, and had to be taken to the ER immediately. They told me my son was the prime suspect in the assault case due to what that miserable brat put him through while he was in school, but they also admitted he was nowhere to be found on the scene of the crime, none of his personal effects were left behind either. The only thing they could find was part of a ripped football jersey with it's number lying next to the unconscious, barely breathing body of my son's former bully."

The man showed genuine surprise and even concern at this startling reveal. He had only shown mere glimpses of any emotion before, but this seemed to have caught his attention fully. He then proceeds to inquire what I would have were I in his position.

"And am I correct in assuming when Lincoln, or whomever found their way home, this led to the birth of yet another identity?"

Lynn Sr once again regained his previous demeanor and nodded his head curtly, confirming the man's suspicions.

"When Lincoln came home to us that night, he was sporting a red and white football jersey with the number 1 on it. His hair was now medium brown and in a classic ponytail behind himself. He was also wearing bright red shorts, track shoes, and plain white socks. I noticed he had a large hole in the back of his shirt when he came inside the house however, and from there I pieced together that the lone piece of clothing found at the crime scene, belonged to my son's new football jersey. As I had done all the times before, I questioned my son on where he was, and why he was wearing these new clothes I never even bought for him. He ignores my question and goes on a rather high energy rant regarding his latest..."accomplishment".

"Whooo! Dad you should have seen me wail on this punk!! I had him crying for mommy in under 5 minutes! Lynn-Sanity is runnin' WILD!!! WHOOOOO!!!"

"I won't lie to you...I couldn't help but smirk at hearing my son get even with that little monster, even though we never raised Lincoln to be violent or vengeful in any way. Regardless, I knew if the police found out that the lone piece of clothing from that night belonged to my son's new jersey, I wouldn't be seeing him again for quite a while. I had to put a stop to his brand-new sports fascination immediately, and the first step of that was burning my son's new attire to keep the authorities from ever finding out the truth. As you'd expect, he wasn't especially happy that I was putting a stop to another hobby he enjoyed, and he would still practice sports in front of the yard just to spite me. I'll admit that putting an end to his new found love of sports was the thing I regret taking from him the most by far."


	12. Luan and Luna

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

"Anyway, soon after I banned Lincoln's sports related activities, he once again needed something else to fill the gap left in it's wake. He soon began to cope with his inner suffering through comedy. He would tell rather cheesy, predictable puns and play practical jokes/pranks on random strangers to pass the time."

" Eventually, he managed to get a gig booked at a stand-up comedy club called the "Chortle Portle", which we attended to show our support for our son in his new endeavor. When the club owner announced his act was next, we were naturally quite excited, albeit nervous as to how the audience would respond to his style of humor. Admittedly I have a sense of humor most would consider corny or out-of-date by today's standards, so I may have been more worried than my wife."

"When the curtain was pulled, our son Lincoln was now wearing braces upon his 2 front teeth. A plain white T-shirt with a small pink flower toward his heart. A yellow checkered skirt that went down to his knees. Light brown hair in a long, slender pony-tail that went all the way down to his back, and dark brown penny loafers with the same pink flower on the front of them. Once the spot-light shined on Lincoln, he referred to himself as Luan, and began reciting jokes that sounded as though he had rehearsed the material for several hours in a mirror. To my greatest fear however, the audience did not react well to Lincoln's opening material, and quickly booed him rather fiercely off-stage in just a matter of minutes. I can still recall the look of pain and emptiness my son's expression displayed as the tears in his eyes begun to well up, shortly before he bolted for the exit just before the audience could pelt him with tomatoes and discarded trash."

"When we got home the following night, Lincoln was still locked up in his bedroom crying his eyes out. He let me in after we finished with dinner that night, and he told me once again he's sorry for disappointing me and his mother. I did the best I could to reassure him he could never disappoint me no matter if he was even trying to do so or not...it was one of the most emotionally taxing nights of my life for me."

The man began to drop his seemingly unbreakable stoic persona and was starting to show his true concern for the well-being of Lincoln's mental state. I couldn't imagine being anyone in this scenario, such a tragic story of devoted parents with a tormented boy, and the mysterious, no-name, stranger willfully listening to every word of this rather hellish life-story. He soon piped up again after remaining silent for so very long.

"It seems Lincoln has yet to find the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. I must ask in earnest...is it possible for things to get worse for Lincoln?"

Lynn Sr began to stir for a bit in his seat on the couch, before answering the man's question once again.

"Well...I wouldn't exactly call what happened next a turn around for Lincoln's life, but it may as well have been considering what he'd been through prior. Lincoln's new interest was music. He gradually learned how to play the guitar, and even how to compose songs for himself to both play and sing. A majority of his songs were comprised of rather depressing, angsty material fit for a teenager with the amount of issues Lincoln had been constantly combating all at once."

"This time, people seemed to appreciate Lincoln's newfound talent much more than the ones before it, so that was very much a step in the right direction for him, and they even donated money for him when he performed in school with his guitar case open. Lincoln's new attire this time was a brown, pixie style haircut, a purple, sleeveless shirt with a cute little skull in the middle, spiked wrist-bands, light purple eye shadow, and large purple rock boots."

"Soon, Lincoln became so confident in his newfound talent that he decided to start performing in concerts. He would get booked in gigs all around the town, getting a chance to perform for a relatively large amount of people on a local level here in Royal Woods. One day, I received a poster for one of his performances in the mail, and just like every other persona that came there after, this one had a unique name to it as well. I can still remember what it said to this day...

_Come on down to see Luna's rockin_', _Spring Break tour_, _live this saturday at the Royal Woods high school_ _auditorium at 8:00 PM._ _Tickets are $3.50 a pop!_

"As happy as I should have been for Lincoln, internally I was screaming at the thought of yet another endeavor turning out disastrously for him. I throughly prayed with all the strength I could muster that this ONE event could actually work out for the better. When me and my wife arrived at his high school to show our support for his new passion like we always had, I had sweated so profusely my wife informed me that my suit had been soaked. I had never been so nervous before in my life. It wasn't even my concert, and yet all I could think about was everything _needing_ to go perfectly. My wife and I needed this, to see our only child finally acheive some measure of happiness and closure, and Lord knows Lincoln deserved it more than anything."

"Once we had been seated, we waited for about 10 minutes before the curtains moved aside to reveal Luna, decked out in punk-rock gear and ready to perform. It didn't take her long to notice us sitting in the middle row, but when our eyes matched, I knew then Lincoln was the happiest he had been in years. His opening performance comprised of various covers from hard rock and heavy metal bands from the 80s, such as Judas Priest, Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, and White Snake. My wife and I cheered him on every step of the way. We both were just elated to see things finally working out for our boy, and the crowd was quite into his performance as well."

"Eventually, Luna stopped her performance after the last cover for Judas Priest, and decided to sing a song which she wrote personally. This song detailed her life before finding music, and the things she went through being openly bisexual, and unbeknowst to the rest of the school; a gender confused boy with multiple personality disorder. This song was titled simply..."Living Differently."

_When I learnt what I was, everyone wanted out_

_I was shunned by the world, I had no clout_

_But there was a voice in my head that reminded me, of what it means to be living differently_

_I'm meeee...I'm meeee...and there'll never be another one like me I'm meeee...I'm meeee...indefinitely, and this is what it means to be living differently_

_I never asked to be born, I never had a choice_

_I've been spat on, beat down, wasn't allowed a voice_

_Yet here I stand on my own 2 feet, a decision I made consciously_

_I'm meeee...I'm meeee, this is my reality...I'm meeee...absolutively, and this is what it means to be living differently_

_As life went on, I heard a sound_

_That sound was music, turning my world upside down_

_And the song I sing, is what it's meant to be_

_It's the story of me, and what it means to be living differently_

_I'm meeee...I'm meeee...love it or hate it, I'm meeee...I'm meeee...ain't no escapin' it, I'm meeee...I'm meeee...and this is what it means to be living differently_"

"When the song was finished, Luna put down her accoustic guitar and took a solemn bow before the audience. We were so worried what their reaction to it would be, but I suppose times like that are as good a time for miracles to happen than any. To our greatest shock and deepest relief, the audience gave his song number a standing ovation. We had never once imagined Lincoln would receive this type of adulation for something he did out of passion, not because he didn't deserve it, but because of what he is."

"Naturally, those fears all but melted away when we witnessed row after row of the audience in that auditorium standing up to show their appreciation for what he was so bold to share with us all. When we were finished counting, there was perhaps a handful of attendees that were seated during this ovation. My wife and I couldn't have been happier at that moment, and the look in Lincoln's eyes told us a better story than I could ever hope to put in words. This was unquestionably the greatest night of his life, and we were there to witness every precious second of it."

"However...just as quickly as it began, Lincoln's happiness was to be short lived. As he stood before rows of adoring audience members, he was unaware that he was standing underneath a large lighting fixture, one that had been loose and prone to falling in the past. He was in the middle of basking in his newfound success when the lighting fixture fell from the top of the curtains of the auditorium, crashing right ontop of his skull with a sickening impact."

"Our hearts sank before we even realized what had happened. I frantically scrambled for my phone to dial 911 as quickly as my fingers would allow, and my wife rushed onto the stage before anyone else could to check on Lincoln. My heart was racing and sweat was pouring off my forehead. As quickly as it all began, the dream come true was slowly turning into a living nightmare. When the EMTs arrived, my son had a large gash in his head which was spewing crimson across his head down to his shoulders and neck, which began to stain his brown hair and some of his shirt. I had to resist the urge to vomit right there on the spot upon seeing the injury. Lincoln's life hung in the balance of all this, and his survival was my absolute top priority beyond all else."


	13. Leni and Lori

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. ****:)**

The man looked generally shocked to hear this kind of news. The one good thing Lincoln had going for him, and it was just ripped away from him seemingly on a whim. It didn't take him long to regain his usual stoic presence however, and soon he questioned as I would where Lincoln went after this God-awful accident.

"I apologize for what happened to Lincoln, and for what you must have experienced having to witness all of this with your own eyes. What happened to Lincoln after this? Did he make a full recovery, and more importantly was he still able to pursue his interest in music?"

Lynn Sr looked grateful at the concern the man was showing for his only son, but soon became depressed once more at having to revisit another chapter in this poor child's tragic past. Just what could top having an entire future taken away in one fell swoop?!?

"I'm glad you asked, and the answer isn't as depressing as you've come to expect. When we got to the hospital, we were told by the doctors our Lincoln was in a coma, and wasn't expected to come out of it for at least a couple of months. We both noticed a large amount of bandages exclusively wrapped around the gruesome head wound I was forced to see earlier. There was a moderate amount of blood staining the top of the bandages indicating the wound was only recently closed, and still had much to go before it would heal completely. The medical staff informed us the gash was not deep enough to reach the skull, but that the blow to the head struck with enough force to rattle his brain."

"Upon awakening, he would be dealing with potential memory loss and periodic bouts of confusion, such as who he was, and how he ended up here. Sure enough, when Lincoln finally came to, he had completely forgotten about his "Luna" persona. He could remember his original self, and whom we were thankfully, but it would take him time before he could remember the rest of his past selves, as well as the events that had transpired previously. As weeks turned into months, Lincoln began to make a near full physical recovery, but his mind had still been altered from the accident. He became more flighty and absent-minded in personality, having trouble understanding certain expressions, and forgetting where he was periodically."

"A full year went by, and though Lincoln was finally at a 100% following his near-death experience, he was once again in the process of creating a new identity. He allowed his hair to grow out once again until it cascaded down to his back, and he applied the same blonde hair dye he had done before back when he was "Lola". His attire switched from the daring, rebellious, punk-rock gear of Luna, and in it's place was a seafoam green dress with white frills, white sunglasses, and generic flip-flops. Lincoln soon developed a taste for fashion, bringing home whole catalogues of magazines and brand new clothes fresh from our town's shopping mall."

"Although his new identity was ditzy, airheaded, and at times lacking in common sense, she brought with her boundless amounts of love and kindness. Whenever she wasn't hanging out with her new friends or spending plenty of time at the mall, she was helping out around the neighborhood, assisting with chores, redecorating people's houses, and sharing her love and knowledge of fashion with anyone who would listen. It wasn't until we came home from grocery shopping one day that we learned of this new identity's name..."Leni".

"To say Leni was pure joy to be around would not be at all inaccurate, but for someone to be as kind and pure hearted as they were beautiful was indeed a rare sight to see, although it's far from what I'd call an unwelcome one. Unlike the other identities that came after it, Leni's eventual change into Lincoln's latest and final identity did not come after some tragic event, or me and my wife banning whatever activity he was currently into. Leni instead began a rather perplexing metamorphasis of some kind the day we decided to buy her a brand new smart phone. It was the most advanced phone on the market that we could afford at the time, and in no time whatsoever did Leni become obsessed with her brand new device. She would make full use of social media, take selfies constantly, and began to text religiously day in and day out."

"Eventually, we began to question just who she was texting so much even when not talking to her friends. It was around that time we noticed Leni was beginning to change into a new identity all together. I finally had enough of it one day, and I went to take her phone away from her, and her response to that was...not what we had come to expect of her to say the least."

"Ugh, dad! Do you mind? I'm literally texting this cute boy around my age that I met at school recently!"

"The brief few seconds or so I had her phone in my hand, I noticed the name she used while texting was not Leni like I expected to see, but rather an entirely different one,"Lori". When she mentioned a cute boy she'd been texting recently, I became nearly as nervous as I was on the day I attended my son's rock concert during his "Luna" phase. In all fairness, I knew the day would come when the subjects of dating and sexuality would begin to concern Lincoln as he grew, but with him constantly bouncing back and forth between identities and going through one traumatizing event after another, all of these concerns merely faded into the background. I'll admit I wasn't especially looking forward to discussing these kinds of subjects with him, but when Lincoln came of age it just couldn't be helped."

"Anyway, Lori offered little information about this cute boy at school, other than his name being "Bobby", and that he would be coming over the weekend for us to meet him. I didn't have anything else to say or add at that point, so I simply returned her phone and left for work that day. When I brought this to my wife's attention later that night, she seemed much more excited about the prospect of Lincoln dating than I was, but I suppose that was her motherly instincts at work. The only thing I hoped for was Bobby being good for our Lincoln, and him not completely freaking out upon learning Lincoln's secret."

"Come Saturday evening at 7:30 PM, Lori came back home with her would-be love interest Bobby. He was a polite, if slightly shy and awkward 17 year old boy of Mexican descent, whom had been working multiple part-time jobs throughout Royal Woods to assist his single working mother with finances. He had met Lori while delivering pizza to a high-school party one night, and the 2 bonded that night going forward. With Lori's obsession with social media, it made it much easier for Lincoln to establish social connections with others without the need for direct contact with them. As Lori, his social standing within his school's hierarchy improved exponentially, which led to him getting invited to the party which ultimately brought him to Bobby. All I knew was I wanted what was best for my only child. I wanted him to be happy, and I couldn't give a damn what it took to give him that. If Bobby was what granted Lincoln that happiness, then that kid could consider himself an honorary member of the family already in my eyes."

"Lori soon went up the stairs to freshen up a bit before their big date. After about 10 minutes of prepping and grooming, she came back down sporting a new attire all together as all the identities before her had done so. Her hair was now much shorter compared to what Leni's hair was like. She was also wearing a light-blue tank top, brown cargo shorts, blue slip-on shoes, white pearl earrings, and light-blue eye shadow. She was beautiful and perky as you'd expect, but I admit to missing Leni's joyful and selfless personality. This new identity was essentially a more spoiled and shallow version of the previous, but all the same I wished for nothing more than for everything to go well for her this night."

"They finally left around 8:00 PM after we'd gotten to know Bobby a little better. He mentioned living with his mother and younger sister right here in Royal Woods. His mother worked as a nurse and apparently separated from her husband a few years after the birth of Ronnie Anne, which accounted for many of the odd jobs the young man worked in order to help his mother with finances. He also mentioned being raised Catholic however (and still practicing), which brought up some concerns regarding how he would react upon learning Lori's "true" identity, but those were troubles for a later date."

"Lori returned to us that night happier than I've ever saw her before. She seemed estatic at the connection and chemistry she shared with Bobby, whom she began affectionately referring to as "Boo Boo Bear". A sickly sweet name if ever there was one, but I could tell the joy in her eyes was anything but fake. It seemed at least initially that Lincoln finally found his silver lining in life.The happiness that many hope to find with a little time and patience._ However_...that's when the subject of meeting Bobby's family came about."

The man displayed notable curiosity at this statement as did I, but I had come to expect the worst given the tone of voice Lynn Sr used upon making it.

"I take it Bobby's mother wasn't approving of Lincoln in the way in which you hoped? How did she react upon meeting you and Rita for the first time?"

"I know what you're thinking, but no the trouble didn't start with his mother. She was fairly polite upon meeting us I'd say. We weren't going to be best friends over night by any means, but she didn't seem to resent us either. She also seemed more or less happy for both Lori and Bobby, and didn't suspect Lori of being any gender other than female, although I believe she would have favored him going out with a girl whom shared their ethnicity, but that was by far the least of my worries. The trouble started upon Lori meeting Bobby's younger sister, Ronnie Anne."

"You see...Lori and Ronnie Anne hit it off much better than we expected them to. She was initially wary of Lori upon first meeting her, but soon they began to bond over shared interests, in spite of the fact Ronnie Anne was more of a tomboy by comparison. Many of the interests Ronnie Anne had reminded Lori of interests she at one time had, such as video games. Due to this, Lori proposed the idea of introducing Ronnie Anne to her own brother, whom also happened to be 11 as well. Then, after saying our respective good-byes to Bobby's family, Lori had informed us by the time we got home that Lincoln would be the perfect match for her. This is why Lincoln has reverted back into his original self. His heart is now torn between 2 loves, and it doesn't seem like he has the answer regarding the one he should stay with."


	14. See as I See

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

I was as surprised as the man seemed to be with this new information, but there was something strange about what Lynn Sr mentioned with Lori thinking Ronnie Anne would be perfect for Lincoln. Does Lincoln truly believe he lives with 10 sisters, or is he simply unaware that all they are were simple pieces of what makes him who he is? The man basically quoted my own question word for word.

"Mr. Loud, is your son aware that these "sisters" of his are in fact split versions of his original personality? Because the impression I took from earlier today when he returned from playing outside with his sister Lynn Jr, is he seems to believe that his sisters are all real. I was inclined to believe him at first upon meeting Lisa, but then she was nowhere to be found when I returned to her room. Come to think of it, why does this house have so many rooms if Lincoln himself is an only child?"

Lynn Sr gripped his hands together as he let out a soft sigh before explaining the house's curious number of separate bedrooms.

"Lincoln has frequently alternated between his identities for most of his life. Throughout each one, he requested a distinct room to fit his specific interests at the time, and when we could afford to do so we had more bedrooms installed to better suit each individual identity. It's worth pointing out that some bedrooms he shares with one other identity, such as Lisa and Lily's shared bedroom, or Lori and Leni's bedroom."

The man pressed his chin between his index finger and thumb in a thinking gesture, seemingly in deep thought over everything he had been told up until that point. He soon asks when Lincoln last reverted into his original self.

"I see...and when last did he revert to his original self as he is now?"

"It was about a month ago, and since then he's been switching between Lori and himself the most. Now that he's personally met Ronnie Anne as himself, he's now been trying to balance 2 loves at the same time, and his doctor has told us it's beginning to take a toll on both his physical, and mental well-being simultaneously...ohh God I just don't know what to do anymore!!!"

After that sentence, the usually cheerful and jovial patriarch of the Loud residence finally broke down into tears, having restrained his ability to cry throughout this entire conversation. His head slumped down, having been caught by both of his open hands as he proceeded to bawl uncontrollably. The man during this time seemed to be pondering the best course of action from this point forward. He soon raised out of his seat for the first time in what felt like hours, and gently used his left hand to stroke the distraught father's back.

"I believe I've troubled you enough for one night. All I ask is that I might see Lincoln one last time before I take my leave of you fine people once again."

Though his movements were sluggish and weary, Lynn Sr managed to look this stranger in the eyes, and meekly nod his head as the tears from his eyes stung and blurred his vision. With this, both men prepared to enter the kitchen where Rita and Lincoln were silently eating the entire time...but then.

"**LINCOLN STOP THAT!!! COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!!!"**

A thunderous crash is heard in the kitchen, and soon Lincoln can be seen bolting out of the kitchen with a large, butcher knife in his hands. He leaps over the living room couch and makes a break for the stairs, briefly locking eyes with the man before racing up the stair-case. The man and Lynn rush up the stairs in hot pursuit of the tormented youth, with Lynn in front. He soon slips on an object Lincoln apparently put on the stairs, leaving the man to capture the emotionally distraught father. With surprising speed for a man of his stature, he briskly places Lynn on the couch and hurries back up the stairs to catch Lincoln before he can do any harm to himself. My heart was pounding with literally every passing second of this ordeal, and I was nearly too frightened to go on watching, with "almost" being the optimal choice of word here.

The man continued to give chase to Lincoln as he hurriedly stampeded his way up the stair-case, though Lincoln was already past the top step. Once he reached the 2nd floor, Lincoln had just slammed the door to his bedroom shut, which prompted the man to charge shoulder first into the door with all the force he could muster. The door was old and frail, causing it to shatter upon impact from the power behind the man's charge. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he takes a moment to analyze the contents of the room.

From within the center of the room stood Lincoln, with his back turned and his head sunken down in a rather depressing fashion. He said nothing, but wheezes and some audible sobbing could be heard coming from him. He was still clutching the butcher knife in his left hand, which led the man to approach him cautiously so as not to startle him. I gripped the edges of my arm rests so hard I could begin to hear tearing noises from the fabric, mentally cursing myself as the chair I was sitting in was still relatively new. The man took a few more steps to where Lincoln was standing, but soon backed off when he saw the boy begin to raise the knife he held in his left hand.

"_Don't _come any closer, or I swear to you I'll slit my **throat**!!"

"_Lincoln_...put the knife down, **now**."

The man's voice was devoid of the former courtesy and politeness he had demonstrated before, and in it's place was an eerie calm laced with the utmost seriousness. Lincoln's voice on the other hand was dripping with venom and malice, as if though he just put together what this stranger's true intentions were. This intense stand-off could go either way, the only thing I hoped for was that a happy ending could be salvaged at the end of all this.

The man seemed to realize that a direct approach in this scenario would result in a potentially fatal disaster. He changed tactics and decided on negotiating with Lincoln to prevent him from harming himself.

"...Lincoln, with every dilemma you have ever encountered, you have split a piece of yourself apart in order to combat it. You have spent your childhood and adolesence changing whom you really are to better suit the whims of a given scenario. However, what you have neglected in the process is the ability to grow as a person. After all, why be what you are, when you can merely pretend to be what you think you should be?"

The man's monologue caused Lincoln to turn around for the first time, showing a violently angry 11 year old boy, whom displayed blood-shot eyes and a tear stained face from his previous emotional episodes. His expression began to soften somewhat as he took in what the man had to say, but his anger remained firm, and he began to call out what he felt the man's true objective was.

"**SHUT UP****!!**" I know the real reason why you're here! You've come to take me away from my family, haven't you?!?"

The man looked dead straight into the enraged child's eyes with no signs of fear or apprehension. He acknowledged the boy's suspicions, and calmly refuted them with no noticable changes in the volume or tone of his voice.

"You may think that if you wish, but before I tell you the real reason why I've visited you...let me ask you something. Does the rest of the world see your sisters as you do?"

Lincoln appeared confused, and his question reflected the expression on his face.

"What are you talking about? What do my sisters have to do with any of this?"

"What I am talking about is I know your secret child. Your sisters don't actually exist, they never did. As a matter of fact, all they are is extensions of your own personality, with each one being born under a different fear or insecurity you've harbored since infancy. To give an example of what I mean, Lynn Jr represents your inferiority complex over your lack of athletic talent. Lucy represents the depression you suffer from the loneliness of being an only child. Lily represents your gender dysphoria. Luna represents your struggle with being bisexual, and so on and so forth. They are all mere pieces, or "fragments" that make up what you are, and from what I can tell, the only one that can't see this is yourself."

Lincoln seemed to be growing more frightful by the minute. He was essentially being told that his entire life story was simply a fabricated delusion of his own imagination. His formerly berserk expression, twisted in anger and hatred, was now beginning to re-form as new emotions such as confusion and doubt began to take root. He attempted to open his mouth for a reply, but no words would form for him. He was paralyzed by this newfound fear that consumed him, allowing the man to continue his argument without interruption.

"Anyway, the real reason I've come here is I wanted to know just what kind of perception you have on the world around you. If you truly have 10 sisters Lincoln, then why are they not yet home when it is precisely 10:00PM? Are they only visible to you, or do you simply choose to believe they are real to provide a sense of personal closure for yourself?"

"That's a** LIE**!! My sisters **ARE** real! Even if I'm the only one that can see them, that doesn't mean they're just figments of my imagination!"

Just after Lincoln finished rebuttling the man's claims of his sisters being made up, he began to lower the butcher knife he still held in his hand a bit. The man seemed to pick up on a potential chance to get the weapon away from Lincoln's grasp immediately, which then lead to the scariest moment this entire episode had managed thus far.

"...Then allow me to see the world through your eyes, child."

Just then, the man began to approach Lincoln with his right hand raised to about the height of Lincoln's forehead. Lincoln had little time to process what was happening, but once he saw the man approaching his position, he began to raise the knife in his hand to ward him off.

"W-What are you doing?!? Get back! I told you to **STAY BACK**!!!"


	15. His Only Desire

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

All I could see or hear before the screen went to black was the man standing before Lincoln, and the disturbing sound effect of sharp steel colliding with human flesh. I was half tempted to check the TV to see what was wrong, but when I got up from my chair, I noticed Lincoln was present in what looked to be some empty void of darkness. I couldn't tell whether he was standing in place or floating there, but his eyes were now closed in a manner similar to a person sleeping, even though I couldn't make out any snoring noises coming from him.

The camera began to zoom in on his face, after a few minutes went by Lincoln opened his eyes to find himself suspended in the middle of nowhere. He immediately began to panic and perspiration was starting to run down his head as he frantically looked around every direction he could to determine where he had been taken to. Suddenly, his gaze was focused on an unseen figure in front of him, causing him to tense up even worse than he had before.

The camera soon panned to show the man staring down the petrified boy in the eyes. Before he could say anything, Lincoln beat him to the punch by asking the question anybody would in such a predicament.

"Where have you taken me?!?"

"This place is called your sub-conscious as I recall. It was necessary to bring you here so that I may see what only can be seen by you. While we're here, I'll be rummaging through your memories so that I may see them how only you can see them."

"**JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM MEEEE****?!?**"

Lincoln shrieked, completely scared and confused at what this man was planning to do with him, but he responded with the same calm indifference he had since the beginning.

"I merely wish to see things from your perspective boy. I can assure you no harm will come to you during this time, and I don't intend on erasing any of your memories either. The sooner you allow me to carry this out, the sooner we may return to your bedroom."

Lincoln slumped his head and shoulders down in defeat, knowing he had no other options at his disposal. He could only offer a weak nod before the man flashed a small smile, and quickly turned his back before disappearing completely. Lincoln looked surprised by this act, but made no comment as he looked visibly shakened by what the man meant by "rummaging through his memories".

The nervous child soon got his answer when right before his eyes did various memories of his time spent with his sisters begin to play out in front of him. He re-visited such cherished thoughts such as him playing his first game of catch with Lynn Jr, running into his eldest sister Lori's bedroom after having a nightmare, assisting Lisa with a science experiment that nearly cost him all his hair (and possibly some of his limbs), among several others.

He then began to witness the intro of the show being played, with himself and all 10 of his sisters running about the place as they normally did. However, something strange started to unfold as he watched. He began to realize that his sisters were in fact himself dressed up in a wide variety of different outfits and hair types. It was like he had cloned himself up to 10 times, and gave each clone their own defining characteristic.

As Lincoln watched, his expression began to become more and more horrified by the second. It was now all but dawning on him that what the man said was in fact true. It turned his stomach even to think about it for a second, but slowly he was beginning to come to the realization that the life he thought he knew, was all a lie. His face slowly began to lose all the color it once had, and his expression could only loosely be described as a person whom was on the very edges of their sanity. I can't honestly say I ever felt more sympathy for Lincoln than I had at this moment in time. Oh sure, he'd been dealt a rough hand in a number of episodes before, and on some occassions he'd done absolutely nothing to deserve it, but this was beyond any expectation or theory I'd ever imagined about the show before.

However...as quickly as he had lost all hope, Lincoln seemed to be in deep thought about something. His formerly broken and nearly robotic expression was beginning to be replaced by traces of intrigue, like a small spark of hope when in a worst case scenario. His expression grew brighter and brighter with each passing second as he gave whatever it was he was thinking about more focus. If ever there was a silver lining to be had, it would have to be this one.

Lincoln was so enthralled by whatever was giving him so much joy, that he did not notice the man's presence return to greet him. The man sharply called his name, which briefly snapped Lincoln out of his self induced trance. He then began to explain the gravity of the situation to him.

"Here and now Lincoln...you stand at the cross-road, of 2 realities. The vision to the left is the version of the world that exists within the perception of those closest to you. This is the reality that you claim is a lie. The reality to the right of you, is the reality I've brought out of you by seeing your memories as you see them. This is the reality you see as the truth. Now that you've seen 2 alternate versions of 1 perception, which one do you now believe to be the correct one?"

Lincoln looked shocked out of his wits at what he was seeing, and the question he was being asked. He seemed to give both options some time and thought, presumably more time and thought than anything he'd ever pondered before in his life, rightfully so. After about 10 minutes, Lincoln finally gave the man his answer.

"I can't deny it any longer after seeing what you've shown me. I've been so lonely, so miserable for so many years I desperately wanted to believe that my family was larger, because I believed it would give my life real meaning. In the process of that, I've caused all those important to me to suffer for no good reason, and after all my mother and father have done for me...I'm not sure if I can ever fully forgive myself for what I put them through. So bearing all this in mind...I admit that my sisters aren't real, that I myself created them out of my own personality, and that what you said about my life being a lie...is true."

The man acknowledged Lincoln's confession with a simple nod of his head, but what Lincoln said next seemed to shock even the man's normally stone-faced expression.

"Having said that, the only time I've ever felt true happiness is when I'm with my sisters, even if all they are is essentially imaginary friends. My sisters might not be with me in a physical sense, but just like you said, they are all a part of who I am. They are, were, and always will be the things that allow me to go on living. So long as they're beside me, even if only in spirit, I can never truly be alone. It's why I couldn't stop with just one. The more I made, the more I felt the hole in my heart begin to close. I may forever be an only child, and my sisters might not in fact be real themselves, but so long as they are real to _me_...that's the only thing that matters."

The man looked astonished at Lincoln's passionate and tearful speech, and I at this point had no words to say. He soon questioned what Lincoln's final decision was on this matter.

"So...does this mean you have chosen the perception you've made for yourself?"

Lincoln firmly nodded his head before replying in earnest, with zero signs of doubt or hesitation.

"_Yes_...it may be a lie to you and everyone else, but for me it's the only truth I'll ever know, or need."

The man closed his eyes for a few seconds, seemingly in thought over Lincoln's decision. When he opens them up again, he flashes another sly smile before replying.

"...Then go to it child. It's to the right of you."

The man gestures with his right arm to some kind of portal. Suddenly, a floor begins to form underneath Lincoln's feet, startling him for a second. He begins to take a step forward, revealing another piece of the floor to him, and with each step he took a new piece of the floor emerged. It eventually led him to the portal, which featured him and his sisters interacting as usual, like it were a scene ripped from a prior episode. He stepped through the portal, which made an odd sound similar to TV-static. The screen soon whited out, making it impossible to determine what happened to the man.


	16. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: The Loud House is owned by Nick, Viacom, and creator Chris Savino. I own absolutely nothing relating to the series, beyond this personalized work of fiction. Thank you. :)**

The episode then shows Lincoln asleep in his bed. Everything seems normal, if a little too quiet for the Loud House, when suddenly Lori busts through his bedroom door. She greets him in a tone all too familiar for diehard fans of the show, such as your's truly.

"Hurry up twerp! School starts in 10 minutes, and I'm not getting my phone privileges revoked because of your laziness!"

Just then, Lincoln practically threw himself out of bed, and began a frantic search for his routine orange polo shirt and blue jeans combo. This process took him less than a minute before he found himself out his bedroom door, and into the hallway. From here, we can see his sisters running amuck and doing their usual activities. Lori and Leni were fighting over a sweater, Lynn Jr was practicing bouncing a baseball off one of the walls. Lisa was running with a dangerous looking chemical in a beaker. The twins looked to be fighting over a jump-rope. Luna was blasting her music for everyone to hear. Luan was busy setting up a prank for someone to fall into. Lucy was reciting her latest poem, and Lily was attempting the most strenuous task of being as adorable as humanly possible.

As Lincoln stood in the center of the hall, his sisters began to notice him for the first time that morning. There was an awkward silence that permeated the scene, with each sister stopping what they were doing so they could stare at him. After 5 minutes or so, they all charge at him with joy evident in their voices. They soon begin to pelter him with questions and requests, which Lincoln seemed to tune out as he didn't give any of them an answer. A large smile began to form on his face, indicating he was enjoying the attention he was receiving from his sisters, even if half of what they were saying were mere demands on him. They begin to lift Lincoln into the air for some reason, which then led to Lincoln looking straight into the camera, and delivering one of his infamous monologues to the audience.

"Heh heh...well there you have it. I guess this is as close to a happy ending as someone like me can enjoy. It might just be all in my head, but what can I say? I wouldn't trade it for the world! I'm Lincoln Loud, and this is _my_ reality!!!"

The sisters throw Lincoln into the air before the episode warps us back to the bedroom, where we last saw Lincoln about to stab the man. The man removed his right hand from Lincoln's forehead and took a few steps back, positioning himself at the doorway. Lincoln pulled the blade away from where he used it to stab the man, but upon doing so I noticed there was no blood on it at all. I'm not sure if Lincoln himself picked up on that, but it just filled me with more questions that I decided to leave unanswered. The man gently took the knife out of Lincoln's no longer trembling hand, and put it into his pocket for safe keeping.

"It was a pleasure getting to know you Lincoln Loud. I can't say for certain how many will agree with your decision, but only you can find happiness for yourself. One can only hope you've made the right choice."

After one final tussle of his hair, the man flashed a kind smile before saying his final goodbyes to this most unique creature of a child.

"Godspeed, kiddo."

With that, the man tipped his hat for the final time, and then turned around to make his exit. Lincoln said nothing during this time, but I could see the faintest of grins beginning to form at the very edges of his mouth. I like to think he made peace with what he is, he is still just a kid after all.

The man made his way down the stairs gradually, when he soon noticed Lynn Sr and Rita were waiting to greet him by the living room couch. They both were clearly terrified at the thought of what could have happened to Lincoln. Lynn Sr decided to rush up the stairs so he could check on Lincoln, while Rita stayed behind to question the man on what happened while he was up there.

"Oh my God, my BABY!!! Please tell me he didn't hurt himself! Did you manage to stop him in time?!?"

Rita was about as distraught as you'd expect a concerned mother to be. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her messy, ruined makeup heavily implied she was crying her eyes out during this entire ordeal, but the man merely smiled and calmly eased her fears with a polite response.

"Lincoln's going to be just fine. I somehow talked him out of any self harm he was planning on doing, though he took a shot at me with that blade. I'm pretty sure I'll manage however."

A huge sigh of relief passed through Rita like the coming of a gentle breeze. She immediately pulled the man into a tight hug and profusely thanked him for doing what he could to prevent Lincoln from hurting himself.

"Oh thank you thank you, you brave, kind soul!! We owe you so much, and yet I still haven't even learned your name?"

The man let out a merry chuckle before responding in kind.

"No thanks are necessary ma'am. As for Lincoln himself, I believe he's made a choice to follow the path he forged for himself long ago. While I cannot relate to the struggles or responsibilities a parent has, I will say the path to happiness is one's own personal journey. I believe you and your husband are fundamentally decent people, but your son is a unique individual that needs to have a little more "hands-on" control, if you know what I mean."

With this, the man offered a hand-shake, which Rita happily accepted. He soon opened the door to the Loud House as he prepared to make his exit, but not before giving one last goodbye to the Loud House matriarch.

"I'll be leaving you fine people for good this time I'm afraid. Please give your husband my best regards. He's a good man and a great father...and tell Lincoln no matter what he decides to do, just to make sure it's what makes him happy, alright?"

Rita responded with a simple nod and a teary eyed smile. With this, the man tipped his hat for a final time, but before he took his leave, his expression suggested he almost forgot something. He hurriedly rushed over to Rita before leaving.

"Oh and...I believe _this_ belongs to you."

The man pulled out the butcher knife he stuffed into one of his coat pockets, and handed it back to Rita by the handle. She seemed confused at first, but quickly remembered it was the knife Lincoln stole from the kitchen. She gently took it back and thanked the man once again. He simply smiled, tipped his hat once more, and then casually strolled his way out the front door, as the screen slowly faded to black.

My DVR's recording abruptly stopped after this, so whatever team of writers or artists had a hand in creating this rather bizarre, and depressing episode would remain an anomaly until further notice. It's been at least a month since I watched the whole thing, and to be perfectly honest I'm still not sure what to make of it. What even was the purpose of this episode? Was it some kind of weird social commentary on the state of the human mind, mixed in with the pursuit of happiness? Was it all a dream? If Lincoln can find happiness in embracing his own lies, what does that say about life in general? Is the truth even worth pursuing or honoring?

There's so many questions I still have left unanswered, and the more I think about this, the more questions I end up asking. This is waaaay too much brain work for someone like me, so in closing I think I'll just leave the unknown as is. Thanks in advance if you managed to sit through my little tale. As for me, I've got work tomorrow, so I'm afraid this is where we part ways. Once again, thanks for listening, and have a pleasant day. :)

**A/N: When I initially began writing this story, I honestly had no idea what direction I wanted to take it. I've always been fascinated by the idea of people harboring multiple personalities, and how perceptions of reality can differ so much from person to person. With this concept in mind, and the common Loud House theory of Lincoln's sisters being all made up, it seemed like the perfect backdrop to give my story some footing.**

**Admittedly, it is the first story I have ever written on this site, one that took me whole months to visualize, and eventually put to words via typing. I understand and accept this may not be a viable excuse, but with all my humility I may simply request for criticism to be constructive as deemed needed or necessary. I cannot promise this story's writing or subject material will meet every given taste or sensibility, but what I can do is offer my sincerest thanks and appreciation to any and all that could be bothered to finish reading it. It has been my most delighted pleasure to give this concept form and life as I had intented it, and I can promise you the reader that it shall not be my last story published on here! :)**

**In closing, I can only offer my gratitude to any and all whom managed to stick it out to the end. May blessings and peace be upon you all, and till we meet again!**


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